


I Think I Wanna Marry You

by SweetAsCyanide



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, M/M, no super oblivious, oblivious idiots, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-06
Updated: 2016-01-06
Packaged: 2018-05-12 03:53:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5651542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetAsCyanide/pseuds/SweetAsCyanide
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Clint, for the last time,” started Bucky. He took a deep breath, bracing himself, and loudly exhaled before continuing on. “I’M NOT GOING TO MARRY YOU, WHAT PART OF THAT DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?!” Shit. He really hadn’t meant to yell that. Out loud. In front of the rest of the team. Who definitely weren’t going to understand that statement out of context. Or even in context. Shit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Think I Wanna Marry You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [musicandteddybears](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=musicandteddybears).



> Written for musicandteddybears as part of the WinterHawk Exchange! I truly hope you like it (and I'm sorry there weren't more video game buddy times included). This ended up being rather different than what I had initially intended--and substantially shorter--but I rather like how it turned out regardless. 
> 
> This was not beta'd so if you see anything I need to fix let me know. :)

“I’m not going to repeat myself again. The answer is no.” Bucky firmly stated and then began walking towards the tower’s common room area. It was almost time for the mandated team bonding movie night. Or ‘let’s catch up the old timer’s on pop culture night’ as Stark liked to call it. Last week it had been some flick about a town that had forbidden dancing. It was a musical. He failed to see what either him or Steve had missed out on, though the catchy pop schtick was right up Steve’s alley. 

“But-” Started Clint as his fingers wrapped themselves around Bucky’s left arm in an effort to turn him around. That was one of the things he most appreciated about Clint. He’d never let the metal arm phase him. Stark was always bothering him about upgrades, which was his own brand of showing he cared but still got old quickly. Bruce was a bit like Stark, in that he wanted to improve the functionality of his arm, though not with grenade launchers and flamethrowers but rather for the sake of his own personal comfort. Thor wasn’t around the tower often though when he was, his eyes though kind held tremors of pity. Natasha was weary of his arm, and indeed of him, he could always see it hiding in the shadows of her eyes. Sam was supportive to a fault, he wasn’t searching for constant encouragement. Steve was on the other end of the spectrum, always studiously ignoring it or being overly cautious about it. So it was nice to have someone just treat his arm as what it was, a part of him. 

“No.” interjected Bucky as he yanked his arm out of Clint’s firm grasp and carried on walking--there was no huffing involved--towards the common room where the rest of their team mates were bound to already be gathered and waiting on them. They’d had this conversation a dozen times already and his answer had yet to change--no matter how hard Clint’s brilliant blue eyes would plead. 

“But think of how valuable all the experience we would both gain would be!” Clint exclaimed, jumping in front of Bucky just as they reached the common room. 

“Clint, for the last time,” started Bucky. He took a deep breath, bracing himself, and loudly exhaled before continuing on. “I’M NOT GOING TO MARRY YOU, WHAT PART OF THAT DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?!” Shit. He really hadn’t meant to yell that. Out loud. In front of the rest of the team. Who definitely weren’t going to understand that statement out of context. Or even in context. Shit. 

“The bit between ‘I’m’ and ‘going’ confused me a bit.” Said Clint as he fought down a smirk and folded his arms. However, unlike Bucky he didn’t notice the rest of the team gaping from behind him.

“I’m rather confused by the whole thing.” Steve piped up making Clint jump about a foot into the air and turn around faster than Bucky could blink. Steve sat on his spot on the couch where he had his arm wrapped around a petulant looking Stark. They were a thing. Of sorts. They were the sort of couple that you’d never bet on working but that somehow did. As strange as it was the balanced each other out. Steve made sure Tony took better care of himself, less drinking himself into a stupor and more attempting to right his wrongs in a more productive manner. Stark brought Steve up to date, made him see the importance of having some fun when they weren’t trying to save the world from aliens, nazis, AIM, HYDRA, or whatever other acronym named evil organization of the week popped up. They were also a lethal combination when it came to practical jokes and prank wars within the tower. 

“Seriously? You guys couldn’t wait another couple of months? Now Natasha and Sam are going to win the betting pool. Again.” whined Tony. “I mean I knew you guys had some sort of thing going on but I figured you guys were both still living in the land of painfully oblivious pining hidden behind some weird sniper bonding rituals, I didn’t think it had developed into eloping off into the sunset yet.”

“When should we be expecting to get our invitations? Or were you both dead set on eloping?” Asked Natasha with a sly smile. She lounged back in her chair and alternated between staring expectantly at Bucky and sending Clint pointed looks.

“Well even if they planned on eloping they’d still legally need at least one witness.” Bruce said. 

“Wait, what?” asked Bucky. They were what the latest betting pool was about? For real? Well that explained the shifty looks they all got on their faces every time Clint and him were in the same room together. Not like it was a bet any of them were actually going to win. There wasn’t anything going on between them. They were just friends. Nice platonic friends. Nice platonic friends that he may on occasion have less than platonic thoughts about but it’s not like Clint needed to know that. 

“We’re not--Not like that.” Clint said. Natasha merely raised an incredulous eyebrow and Clint started babbling on. “Not that there would be anything wrong with that. At all. By any stretch of the word. I mean Bucky is lovely. Anyone would be lucky to have him. He’s got that whole badass angry kitten thing going for him. And is an impeccable shot--though perhaps not as great as me. And has those damnable stormy eyes. And a suckable jawline. And a fuckable a--wait sniper bonding rituals? What sniper bonding rituals?” Asked Clint as he self consciously rubbed the back of his head. Bucky looked at Clint in a wonderful impersonation of a deer in the head lights. Clint thought he had damnable eyes? And a suckable jawline? And a fuckable ass--at least that’s where Bucky assumed he had been going with it. Clint also thought he was a badass angry kitten whatever the fuck that meant. So maybe he wasn’t the only one thinking less than platonic thoughts.

“You know you’re guys weird bonding rituals of sneaking off to wherever the hell you go and no one else is allowed to follow? That and all the weird flirting one-upmanship you do on the range.” Replied Stark with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. 

“It isn’t flirting. We’re simply trying to determine that I’m clearly the better shot.” Said Clint.

“In your dreams.” Retorted Bucky. Okay, maybe Stark had a bit of a point. But what’s a little harmless flirting between friends?

“Only the good ones.” Clint said as he threw Bucky a wink. 

“Uhuh, and the sneaking off is what, the two of you determining who has the better aim at something a little different--involving fewer clothes and the firing of another kind of weapon entirely?” Asked Stark with a lewd smile. 

“Wait so you guys really aren’t together?” Cut in Sam from where he was sitting on the floor leaning back on Natasha’s legs. They were also sort of a thing. Though a much more recent sort of thing. Sam was helping Natasha heal, helping her see who she could be beyond the Red Room and SHIELD. When the two had first gotten together Clint had told Bucky how nice it was to see her smile an honest open smile again. In turn Natasha made Sam laugh and encouraged him to do even more, be even more than he was before. They were well suited. They also won almost every betting pool made in the tower, everything from what shampoo Thor used to when the next evil supervillain would monologue about their nefarious plans for total world domination. It was more than a little eerie.

“No. We aren’t a thing. Clint wasn’t actually proposing to me.” Bucky said. He ran his non-metal fingers--lest they get caught--through his hair in exasperation.

“Yes I was!” Exclaimed Clint with a wicked grin.

“Fine. He was proposing we get videogame married.” Stated Bucky. It was the truth, Clint had been bugging him to marry him in Skyrim for the past two weeks. They were both good enough players that it wasn’t like either of them really needed the ten percent experience point boost but that didn’t mean it would hurt to have it either. Really he’d only kept saying no because of how much it bothered Clint. It was fun to watch him beg and plead to just marry him already. Bucky wasn’t above admitting that he could be a bit of an asshole. 

“Is that what the kids are calling it these days or is that just some newfangled slang term?” Asked Tony. His face lit up with a wicked grin.

“Newfangled? Really Tony?” Steve asked as he turned to his boyfriend with an arched brow.

“Yes, dear really. I guess you’re rubbing off on me in more ways than one.” Replied Tony with a lascivious wink. 

“Riiiight. Well before that escalates any further, what’s this about fake marriage? Is this like that mission you guys were on in Scandinavia? Where everyone is positive you two will get your acts together but then you come back and all you have to show for it is a bunch of new purchases on your steam accounts?” Asked Sam. About a month and a half ago him and Clint had been sent undercover as a committed couple to this gated community. They had been investigating rumours that the idyllic little suburban community was a front for one of the few remaining heads of Hydra. Turned out the worst thing they had going was a drug ring. The mission itself had been standard enough, a lot of sitting around and spying on the neighbors, which meant a lot of boredom and down time. That’s when Clint had started introducing him to the world of gaming and things had sort of escalated from there. They’d play practically anything and inevitably it would end up as a competition--even with games like Stanley’s Parable which was far from conducive to competitive gameplay. At the moment they were both playing Skyrim online, meaning they had more than just each other to compete with--last month, in the time of Dragon Age, they had been betting on who could get Alistair to sleep with them first and now they were arguing about marrying each other. Bucky still wasn’t entirely sure when avoiding marrying the guy he had more than just a bit of a thing for had become his life.

“It means my character would marry his character so that we’d each get a boost to our experience points when we are both online at the same time.” Explained Bucky. In all honesty it’d probably be worth it. The boost would be useful now that they were both becoming higher levels--which meant leveling up required a shit tonne more experience. They mostly played when the other was online too, it wasn’t quite as fun otherwise.

“See, valuable life experience. It would be worth it. Plus we’d get to shove it in Iron Man69’s face. You know you want to.” Said Clint. 

“Iron whose face now?” Asked Stark in outrage. Natasha simply laughed from her place on the chair while Sam beamed and Steve hid a smile behind his hand. Bruce simply shook his head back and forth. 

“Some guy who keeps hitting on Bucky, he’s a total fanboy of yours Stark. It’s kind of creepy, and yet another point to the Clint and Bucky should totally get videogame married column.” Clint stated. He sounded a bit more angry about some random guy on the internet hitting on Bucky than he really had any right to be. Not that Bucky particularly minded that. He was starting to think that perhaps all the tower bets weren’t just for shit’s and giggles but actually founded on some merit. 

“So this is really all about some video game you guys both play?” Asked Natasha. Clint had told Bucky about his less than stellar attempts to get Natasha to play some game called Life is Strange with him. She’d more or less told him that he could play at being a teenage girl with powers to turn back time in an experimental stage in her life that may or may not end up with everyone dying, but that she had enough weird in her life just by associating with him. Or something like that. 

“Yeah, what else would it be about? You know if we were getting married you’d be the first to know--and my maid of honor.” Said Clint with a grin. Natasha merely smiled at him and nodded her head. The intricacies of their relationship was still a mystery to Bucky. He figured it always would be though.

“No need to bust out the penguin suit then?” Sam asked as he waddled in place slightly and shot the both Clint and Bucky a smile. Trust him to be the one to attempt to make the situation slightly less awkward for all involved. 

“Doesn’t sound like it.” Piped up Bruce.

“You got all our hopes up for nothing? Great, now we have to redetermine the rules of the bet.” Grumbled Tony. 

“There’s nothing to bet on!” Bucky exclaimed. Was it really so hard to believe that him and Clint weren’t going steady? Or an item/couple/whatever the hell it was called anymore.

“Sure, you just keep on telling yourself that robocop.” Said Tony.

“What the hell is a robocop?” Asked Bucky. Far too many of Stark’s references still went over his head. Though in this case it looked like even Steve didn’t get that one. 

“I’d try to explain it to you but, you’re really better off just watching the movie.” Said Clint as he patted him placatingly on the arm. The metal one--not that Clint had noticed he was just reaching out to the closest point of acceptable physical contact--or that’s what Bucky was trying to convince himself of anyway as he threw Clint a smile in thanks. They perhaps may have been looking at each other for a tad bit longer than was normal when Tony coughed to draw the collective attention of the room back to him.

“Well I vote movie night is postponed so that the council may reconfigure the terms of the betting pool about our resident--now slightly less oblivious based off the looks they’ve been throwing each other all through this conversation--idiot lovebirds. All in favour say Aye!” Said Tony as he drew both himself and then Steve up from the couch. 

“Aye!” Steve said as he shot Bucky a wink. 

“Aye!” Chimed in both Sam and Bruce.

“Aye.” Said Natasha as she threw Clint a smile with sharp eyes. Bucky glanced over at Clint and saw him shaking his head back and forth with wide eyes. A glance back at Natasha showed her eyes narrowing further. Apparently they were doing that whole talking without saying anything thing again. It was unnerving how much that they could convey to each other with little more than their eyes. 

There was a distinct pause in the room. Then with a sigh Natasha lifted herself up off the chair, tugged Sam up off the ground and waltzed out of the room. With that the entire room began to clear out. All of them walking towards the elevators. Perhaps there was a secret conference room for inner tower betting that he wasn’t privy to. He wouldn’t put it past Stark to have built one in. 

“You do realize that now that we’ve all but spelled it out for them they’re finally going to get together now right?” Said Steve as they walked away. Leaving Bucky and Clint to do little more than stare at each other.

“Uhuh, aaand?” Replied Tony, voice growing fainter as they wandered farther away. Clint shot him a smile one of the rare ones that reached his eyes.

“That means that no won the bet.” Steve said. Bucky couldn’t help but smile back. 

“Damnit. At least it wasn’t Natasha and Sam again.” Whined Tony as they boarded the elevator and left ear shot. Which meant they were left alone. Or as alone as anyone could get inside of the tower. 

“So….” Began Clint as he dragged his foot across the hardwood floor. He was fidgeting. It wasn’t often that Bucky got to see Clint genuinely looking nervous, yet here he was.

“A needle pulling thread?” Replied Bucky. It was a habit. And he wasn’t ashamed to admit he was just as nervous as Clint. Even if them talking was inevitable he couldn’t help but want to drag out this not quite but sort of a thing between them for just a little longer. What if he’d been misinterpreting everything? What if Clint didn’t see him as anything more than a friend? What if this messed everything up. 

“You know you sound like someone’s grandmother when you say that right? Not mine, but someone’s. Maybe Bruce’s? He seems the type.” Rambled Clint. Definitely nervous then. Clint became infinitely more inclined to ramble when he was nervous. Maybe he just didn’t know how to let Bucky down easy? 

“Uhuh, you know there are things I think we should be talking about that don’t involve Bruce’s hypothetical grandmother and the things she does or doesn’t say, don’t you?” Asked Bucky. He was done drawing it out. Curiosity may have killed the cat but he just wanted his suspicions confirmed. Clint was clearly just trying to be a good friend. So what if there had been some flirting, it was like a second language to Clint it didn’t mean anything.

“Like the fact that clearly everyone in the house has no taste in video games besides us?” Clint said apprehensively as he scratched the back of his head. It was one of his tells. Bucky had picked up on it the first time they had played poker while on a stakeout. Of course Clint knew all of his tells too and knew how to use them to his advantage as well. Despite how frequently Clint acted like a dumbass he was more intelligent than he liked letting on. It was one of the things that Bucky found most endearing about him, especially considering some of the others that they lived and worked with. Still the stupid act had a time and a place and this wasn’t it.

“Like the fact that clearly everyone in the house legitimately thinks we’ve been or were going to soon start dating?” Retorted Bucky. Right then, time for his hopes and dreams to be crushed and turned into the fertilizer for him to start growing new ones. Steve always had called him slightly over dramatic.

“Oh, like that. Right. I… er… suppose we could. Or we could skip the part where we get all awkward because you don’t like me like I like you, because well you’re you. And I’m me. And why would you want me? I mean really, the others have got to be crazy, because you are so far out of my league it’s like you’re in outer space... and instead get back to playing games or the computer variety.” Clint rambled off. It took Bucky a minute to catch on to what Clint had just said. He liked him. Actually liked him. Not just as a buddy to play video games with. Not just as the fellow fucked up sniper of the household. Clint liked him and for some crazy reason thought that a formerly brainwashed Russian assassin was out of his league. Clearly he had some self confidence issues they needed to work on because if anyone was out of the other’s league then Clint was out of his.

“Wait what?” Eloquently responded Bucky as he blankly stared at Clint. His tongue was still a bit tied. His mind hadn’t quite wrapped itself around the fact that Clint liked him back. Well you know what the whole saying about the cat and curiosity was right? That satisfaction brought him back.

“I like you. You don’t like me. Let’s play some video games. Sound good.” Said Clint as he ducked his head down, staring at his toe as it slid back and forth on the floor rather than looking Bucky in the eyes.

“No that doesn’t sound good.” Said Bucky. Frankly after finding out Clint liked him back, going back to the way things were sounded more like torture. He’d been trained to withstand torture but this wasn’t a torture he wished on either himself or Clint, especially if there wasn’t a reason for either of them to endure it.

“Look just give a little time and I’ll get over it--you--and we’ll be all cool again. I won’t even ask you to marry me again. Hell, it’s not like I could get you to say yes before so it’s not like you’ll say yes now.” Clint said, still avoiding looking at him. 

“Yes.” Said Bucky. Perhaps it wasn’t the most romantic of notions, but they weren’t exactly the most romantic of people. If agreeing to marry Clint would snap him out of it long enough for Bucky to explain that he liked Clint back--that there was no need for Clint to get over anything--then all the better, they’d gain an experience boost out of it.

“Yes what?” Asked Clint. He sounded worn down. His eyes were still trained on the floor. He still looked heartbroken and discouraged. That wouldn’t do.

“Yes. I’ll videogame marry you dumbass.” Stated Bucky. Clint’s eyes snapped up to his at that and studied his face. Probably looking for a lie or ulterior motive or some other such bullshit. Everyone in this damn tower needed therapy.

“I--uh… I’m very confused right now.” Said Clint but at least now he was looking Bucky in the eyes and his foot had stopped it’s sweep of the floor. 

“The reason that I don’t want to go back to the way things were, the reason that it doesn’t sound good for you to get over me... is because I like you too.” Bucky said. The words were finally out there. Hanging in the air between them. 

“You.” Clint said while pointing a finger at Bucky. “Like me.” This time Clint gestured to himself.

“Yes. I.” Bucky pointed at himself. “Like you.” He then poked Clint in the chest. “Even if you are a bit of a thick headed dumbass sometimes.”

“Really? Nat didn’t put you up to this did she?” Clint asked while eyeing him suspiciously. Like Bucky would really be the sort to toy with another’s emotions--with Clint’s emotions--because Natasha asked him to.

“What? No? Why would Natasha put me up to this?” Asked Bucky. 

“Uh, no reason.” Said Clint as he glanced away and scratched at the back of his head again. They stood just staring at each other for a moment in silence. Of course that didn’t last long.

“Oh for crying out--JUST KISS ALREADY!” Yelled Tony’s voice from a nearby speaker. Big Brother had nothing on Tony Stark.

“DON’T YOU HAVE A COUNCIL MEETING FOR A BET THAT IS POINTLESS NOW TO BE GETTING BACK TO?” Yelled back a slightly red faced Clint. He shot Bucky an apologetic smile.

“Sha-la-la-la-la, just kiss the girl~” Then began playing from the same speaker that Tony had used before. Really? The Little Mermaid. Bucky had much preferred the original tale in all of it’s heartbreak and seafoam to the romanticized Disney version that Natasha had made them watch. Though he got the point. 

“REALLY STARK? WHAT THE FU--” Clint had started to yell only to be cut off by Bucky grabbing ahold of his face and kissing him. Bucky was just beginning to compare kissing Clint to kissing a dead fish when he finally got with the program and began to kiss him back. Kiss the girl may have stopped playing on the radio but there was now an orchestra of wolf whistles as the backdrop to their first kiss. Well they weren’t really the sort to ever do things the normal way. 

“C’mon” Bucky said as he momentarily broke apart from Clint before dragging him somewhere into the vicinity of one of his bedroom--Clint’s was perpetually a mess and he didn’t much feel like tripping on a discarded trick arrow at the moment--and away from the prying eyes of Stark and the rest of their team. He flipped off the nearest camera for good measure before tugging Clint into another kiss. 

Three days later, in a display on the common room television so that all of the tower could be in attendance, Arcarious Bowen the Swift married Percussor Red the Brave and all rejoiced. Well everyone but Iron Man69, he was rather sad and put out by the whole ordeal but no one really cares about that.


End file.
